Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/692745
GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIALBOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@ redbluffdailynews.com Fax: 530-527-9251 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 728Main St., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Well,it'sthattimeagain.It is time to squash the latest at- tempt by the current group of good old boys (and girl) serving on the Tehama County Board of Supervisors who are selfishly trying to stick it to us taxpay- ers once again by attempting to raise their exor- bitant salaries. These guys cer- tainly have a lot of nerve. Didn't we give them a raise just 27 years ago? For criminy sakes, they make $1,049 a month. We should all be so lucky. Are you with me? Unfortunately, for the majority of you out there the answer appears to be "yes." I was born and raised in this community. After college I re- turned to my hometown where I was employed for 30 years at the Tehama County Probation Department, the last 16 as ad- ministrator of the department. I am one of a fortunate few who were able to find employ- ment locally that allowed me to buy a home, raise my fam- ily and assist with my children's college education. That said, I was underpaid and I knew it. For the most part my col- leagues in neighboring coun- ties, as well as other counties of comparable size, were consis- tently paid more than I. Worse yet, my staff suffered the same fate, to the extent that there were folks working in my de- partment who actually quali- fied to receive food stamps. Working for Tehama County government is a complicated proposition. Most of us choose to live here because of the over- all quality of life. While the out- side world is rapidly invading our space in terms of crime, homelessness, drug abuse, etc., etc. and etc., the fact is that this community continues to be a relatively safe and stable place to grow up and to grow old. Unfortunately, one's ability to do so is often compromised by the reality that we are not a wealthy county. While it is easy to assume that a worker leaning on his shovel represents a do-noth- ing work force "feeding at the trough," the reality is that you, I and every other tax-paying member of this community are served by a largely dedicated, overworked and underpaid workforce. Unfortunately, many depart- ments in Tehama County oper- ate continuously with a "Help Wanted" sign in their win- dow. Qualified applicants of- ten accept positions in neigh- boring higher-paying counties. Worse yet, employees receive entry-level training in Tehama County only to accept higher paying employment in other jurisdictions after being fully trained. The adopted Tehama County budget for fiscal year 2015-16 is approximately $172,000,000. Explaining how, why and where we spend $172,000,000 is not something that can be accom- plished in a 1,000-word column. There are approximately 30 elected or appointed depart- ment heads in Tehama County who each year collectively pre- pare and lobby for funding for a total of over 100 distinct and separate budget units. Of the current $172,000,000 county budget, approximately $130,000,000 is designated for entitlements and other man- dated programs such as social services, roads, education, cap- ital outlay and the like. For the most part these funds are spent in accordance with state and federal mandates, and discre- tion is not a major factor. The remaining $42,000,000 general fund allocation is a whole other matter. It is from this category that discretion- ary decisions are made rel- ative to such areas as pub- lic safety, parks, libraries and other important services. The current year budget allocates $27,500,000 in support of pub- lic safety agencies within Te- hama County. There are currently 878.4 al- located budgeted positions in Tehama County government, which I suspect makes it the single largest employer within the entire county. To summarize, Tehama County government is in real- ity nothing more than a busi- ness, a business that operates with our money, but a business just the same. As with any busi- ness with a budget of a cou- ple hundred million dollars and a work force that approaches 1,000, success is closely associ- ated with the quality of leader- ship provided by those charged with making final decisions re- garding the direction and fu- ture of that business. In the case of Tehama County, the final responsibility for managing $172,000,000 falls on our five-member Tehama County Board of Supervisors. So too does the responsibility for hiring and firing executive staff and department administrators. So too does the responsibil- ity for deciding how many cops we can put on the street. So too does the responsibility for de- ciding when and where to build a new jail and a new library, and so too does the majority of decisions effecting our quality of life on a daily basis. For accepting this respon- sibility, we set supervisor sala- ries at $1,049 per month. A re- cent letter writer to this paper pointed out that when consid- ering additional financial cred- its for auto allowance, deferred compensation, phone allowance, retirement contributions, road inspection reimbursements and health insurance contribution the annual compensation pack- age, including benefits rises to $39,000. That said, every full- time employee on the Tehama County payroll receives a sim- ilar benefit package, and our county supervisors rank dead last in compensation compared to any other Tehama County employee; and our board mem- bers rank dead last in salary compensation when compared to all 58 California counties — and by a wide margin. Tehama County is a poor, conservative community. I un- derstand that. Government is too big and getting bigger, I get that. But I believe that in freez- ing the compensation of our key decision makers for the past 30 years, we are in effect throwing the baby out with the bath wa- ter. We are shooting ourselves in the foot. We are being penny- wise and pound-foolish. Ranking dead-ass last in the state in compensation to our board of supervisors is not a badge of honor. It does nothing to promote the overall health of this community. It's time we in- stitute a system to compensate our board members at a level commensurate with the level of responsibility they hold. •••• Coming to the State The- atre: Documentary: "Janis Jo- plin, Little Girl Blue," followed by Big Brother and the Holding Company, 6-10:00 p.m. June 25. Tickets are $25-$30. BillCorneliusisalifelong resident of Red Bluff, a retired Chief Probation Officer, a champion of the State Theatre and an exceptional athlete. He can be reached at bill. cornelius@sbcglobal.net. William Tells Supervisors' compensation is an embarrassment Cartoonist's take I don't care what the new study has found. Working from home is getting old for me. The study, by TinyPulse, finds that full-time workers who work from home tend to feel "happier and more produc- tive than those who have to make the daily com- mute to the of- fice." Maybe so, but telecommuting has its downsides. I've been self-employed since 1993. In addition to writing this newspaper column, I provide communications services to a variety of clients all over the globe — and I've been able to support them from home or the nearest coffee shop. I am able to do so, of course, because of modern technology. My laptop battery lasts up to 10 hours. It allows me to collabo- rate virtually on Internet work- share sites. I can send and re- ceive large files. I can even talk "face to face" using video-chat applications. I sit in coffee shops most days and pubs most nights. I sit in the corner and peck away on my keyboard. There's no need for me to go to an office anywhere ever. People frequently tell me how envious they are of my free- dom to work from anywhere. But I can't take it anymore. For starters, there is no sep- aration between work and lei- sure. I find myself working all hours of the day — sometimes into the wee hours of the night — and never enjoy the blissful feeling of arriving home after a long day at the office. The busier my workload gets, the more isolated I become. The postal carrier and the Fed Ex driver avoid me now — because I keep trying to engage them in conversations about sports and the weather. At one point, I called a nanny agency and attempted to hire a thirtysomething au pair. They assured me that I had to be a family. When religious fanatics knock on my door it is they, not I, who are first to get antsy. Religious fanatic: "Satan will have your soul unless you read our pamphlet." Me: "Great. I hear it's going to rain tomorrow and what about them Penguins!" I'm a bit burned out on tele- commuting at the moment — which is why I accepted an as- signment that requires me to work from an office building in downtown Pittsburgh. It is a glorious change of pace. I wake at 5 a.m. and must be on the road by 6 a.m. to avoid heavy traffic. I also must wear the nice clothes in my closet that I used to wear only at fu- nerals and weddings. I love my 12-mile commute. I'm greatly enjoying the intense competition with other drivers who won't let me merge on the Parkway. They clearly respect my ability to cut in though. Why else would so many keep giv- ing me the "you're number one" sign? The office experience is glori- ous, too. I work with real people in person. During meetings, we talk about issues and challenges and sometimes, to emphasize a point, I use hand gestures and facial expressions. Try doing that during a virtual phone con- ference! Modern technology is dra- matically changing the way we live and work, and it makes a lot of sense for companies to allow more employees to work from home. Why not spend less on of- fice space? Why not reduce road congestion and fuel consump- tion? I'm just saying that too much of a good thing can go sour. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend with real, live people. We usually be- gin by talking about sports and the weather. Tom Purcell, author of "Misadventures of a 1970s Childhood" and "Comical Sense: A Lone Humorist Takes on a World Gone Nutty!" is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist. Send comments to Tom at Tom@ TomPurcell.com. Tom Purcell The benefits of not working from home Ranking dead-ass last in the state in compensation to our board of supervisors is not a badge of honor. It does nothing to promote the overall health of this community. Bill Cornelius Tom Purcell If neoconservatives and pro- gressives truly understood fas- cism, they would stop using the word as a smear term. That is because both groups, along with most political figures and com- mentators, embrace fascist ideas and policies. Fascism's distinguishing char- acteristic is a "mixed economy." Unlike socialists and communists who seek to abolish private busi- ness, fascists are content to let business remain in private hands. Instead, fascists use regulations, mandates, and taxes to control business and run (and ruin) the economy. A fascist system, then, is one where private businesses serve politicians and bureaucrats instead of consumers. Does the modern American economy not fit the definition of fascism? Fascism benefits big busi- nesses that can afford the cost of complying with government regulations, unlike their smaller competitors. Big businesses, which have more political influ- ence then entrepreneurs or small businesses, also significantly benefit from government subsi- dies. In order to maintain their power, big businesses finance the "deep state" — the network of lobbyists, journalists, think tanks, bureaucrats, and congres- sional staffers who work behind the scenes to shape government policy. Obamacare is an example of fascism that is often mislabeled as socialism. Obamacare did not create a government-run "sin- gle payer" system as would exist under socialism. Instead, Obam- acare extended government con- trol over health care via man- dates, regulations, and subsi- dies. The most infamous part of Obamacare — the individual mandate — forces individuals to purchase a product from a pri- vate industry. Modern America's militaris- tic foreign policy aimed at polic- ing and perfecting the world is another example of fascism that enjoys strong bipartisan sup- port. Both right-wing neocons and left-wing humanitarian in- terventionists claim our suppos- edly noble goals justify any and all actions taken by the US gov- ernment. Thus, these supposed human rights champions defend preemptive war, torture, and presidential kill lists. Many politicians supporting a militaristic foreign policy are more concerned with spreading largesse to the military-indus- trial complex than with spread- ing democracy. This is why some supposed free-market conserva- tives sound like Paul Krugman on steroids when discussing the economic benefits of military spending. Similarly, some anti- war progressives will support large military budgets if some of the money is spent in their states or congressional districts. Mass surveillance and lim- its on personal freedom are ad- ditional hallmarks of fascist re- gimes. While there is a move- ment to "reform" the police state, few want to abolish mass sur- veillance, civil asset forfeiture, police militarization, and other police-state policies adopted in the name of the wars on terror and drugs. The federal govern- ment has even used force to stop people from selling raw milk! At- tempts by progressives to silence political opponents are more ex- amples of how many supposedly anti-fascist Americans are em- bracing fascist policies. The growth of the welfare- warfare state has been accompa- nied by an increase in presiden- tial power. This centralization of power, and the support it re- ceives from the political class, is one more indication of the fascis- tic nature of our current regime. Of course, many in Congress will fight to rein in the executive branch, as long as the occupant of the White House is of the op- posing party. Even the fiercest opponents of excessive presiden- tial power instantaneously be- come lap dogs when their party wins the White House. Ron Paul is a former Congressman and Presidential candidate. He can be reached at the RonPaulInstitute.org. Ron Paul Fascism is a bipartisan affliction OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, June 15, 2016 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6